Disclaimer: I have had to rewrite this disclaimer three times due to saving errors. Well. I'm not artistic enough for manga. So Fairy Tail is not mine.
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bruises
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One year later…
"Damn, those bruises look painful," Natsu winced. "How'd you get so many on your back?"
Lucy smiled faintly, "A jerk."
Currently, the roommates-slash-happy couple of three months were sitting on Lucy's bed. Or, as Natsu had dubbed it, the floral patterned duvet-clad cloud that flutters over a wonderful world of cotton candy, talking blue cats, and fire called dreamland. Lucy's hair was pulled up into a bun, her top cast to the side so her boyfriend could take a look at the bruising on her back (and the rather suggestive lacy white bra that she would rather not talk about).
"Who was it?" Natsu narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill him."
"Don't worry about it," she patted his cheek. "It's fine."
She twisted her body so that she was facing him, "Now show me yours."
Natsu sighed, yanking his scarf down to reveal scratch marks. Marks that looked little like a cat's and more like a woman's. Lucy's fingers brushed over them lightly, and Natsu sighed. He pressed his nose against the crook of her neck, eyelashes fluttering against her skin lovingly.
"Are you sure you're not cheating on me?" Lucy teased. "Cuz to me it looks like all you did was have extremely rough and tumble sex."
"Never," Natsu whispered, pressing a kiss against her jawline.
Lucy chuckled, "I know." Her eyes softened. "I'll get the first aid kit; you still look like you're still bleeding a little bit."
Natsu smiled, "You're the best."
::::
"Oi, Bunny Girl!"
Lucy glanced sideways, stabbing her food with her fork at the sight of her closest friend save her boyfriend. The extremely tall man making his way toward her was, at the ripe age of 21, two years older than her, but possibly the first friend she chose by herself. His hair was long, reaching all the way to the tops of his thighs. But that didn't keep it from being any less messy. In fact, its length was probably the reason why it had so many knots and tangles. He was littered with piercings, and his clothing was ripped in a fashion that was both stylish and edgy - for a wannabe punk, that is.
"Hey, Gajeel," she greeted.
The man slid into the into the seat across from her, his gaze serious, "Jose wants us back in the game. Today."
Lucy arched an eyebrow, "What would Josie want with us from on a Monday? He knows we only work weekend shifts."
Gajeel sighed, "I don't even know. This whole rivalry thing he's got with the little old guy that spouts nonsense about fairies and shit is going too far. Frankly, I don't care. He's quadrupling the pay. 70,000 each to 28,000. Each, that is. As long as working on Mondays becomes a regular thing."
Lucy's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Three work days," she mumbled pitifully. "But…the money…"
"I'd take it," Gajeel said. "But we're partners. Just wouldn't be right if we didn't take on the job together, y'know?"
"You're starting to sound like Natsu," Lucy giggled.
"Ugh," Gajeel grimaced. "I still don't like that guy. Reminds me too much of that Salamander dick that thinks he's all that from Fairy Tail."
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Please. Natsu's way too good to be compared to Salamander."
"I heard someone talking about Salamander," a new voice piped up. "You two finally warmed up to him?"
"Hey, Natsu," Lucy smiled brightly, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss against his lips in greeting."
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Gajeel muttered. Louder, he added, "We still don't like him, so we were comparing him to you."
Lucy snorted, while Natsu crossed his eyes.
"Lucy if you don't like me, you should just move out," Natsu whined, propping his chin on his girlfriend's shoulder.
"Be quiet," the girl giggled, pushing his head off of her. "You're like a puppy."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gajeel intervened. "I do not want to hear about what goes on between you two in that apartment."
"Who says it's in our apartment?" Natsu smirked.
Gajeel reared away, shivering in pure disgust.
"How'd you get that from me calling him a puppy?" Lucy remarked.
"Well," Gajeel began. Lucy grimaced; just from that one word, she knew that the rant would be annoying and nonsensical. "A puppy has an owner. An owner would be a master. So if you called Natsu a puppy, then that means you're the master, so that means you two have some weird kink in bed."
Lucy and Natsu wrinkled their respective noses in unison.
"You're gross, Gajeel," Lucy shook her head.
At the same time, Natsu said, "Get your mind out of the gutter, Metal Face."
Gajeel rolled his eyes.
"Hey, Natsu," Lucy tapped his cheek. "Don't you have classes in fifteen minutes?"
Natsu's eyes widened, eyes flickering over to the clock. His eyes widened almost comically, and he jumped out of his seat, startled. Lucy and Gajeel chuckled at his antics.
"HOLY CRAP I REALLY DO HAVE CLASSES IN FIFTEEN MINUTES I NEED TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"
Lucy muffled her laughter with her hand as Natsu sprinted out of the "Guild Hall" as Fairy Tail University, named in honor of Fairy Tail HQ, dubbed the cafeteria-slash-commons room. Gajeel scoffed.
"You're soft 'cuz of him," Gajeel stated.
"Whaddya mean?" Lucy asked, annoyed.
Gajeel chuckled, "That's cute. You don't even realize." He paused thoughtfully, "When I first met you, you loved seeing the looks on people's faces when they underestimated you. You always made bets that forced them to be your slave or something for entire years. You tripped weaklings, stole their books, and said 'Thank you' so sweetly they never held anything against you. You pulled pranks that sent people to the hospital, and you had absolutely everyone wrapped around your little finger and they still loved you. And now, you don't."
Lucy glowered, "Are you saying I'm inadequate? That I can't be cunning anymore? Just because I got a boyfriend?"
Gajeel raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, hey, hey, I'm not saying that. I'm just worried that, because he gave you a heart, you won't be able to turn it off when we get back to…the real stuff." The last bit was said in a whisper, melancholy and resigned.
Lucy sighed, "For now, let's just see how it goes."
"One more thing…" the young man said softly.
Gajeel stole a french fry, shaking it in front of her face tantalizingly, "Don't think I don't know what you two do every Monday, on that bed with minimal clothing."
"YOU FRICKING PERVERT! NOT TO MENTION, STALKER!"
Gajeel and Lucy are the ultimate brotp. This chapter has probably been one of my riskier things I've ever posted. So. I don't know why I added it. Oh well- NaLuuuuuu.
Determined Pairings:
NaLu/Gajevy
TBD:
GrayZa/JerZa/GrUvia
Bixanna
Miraxus
Others
I will take your votes (votes in the reviews, only accepting actual accounts) into account, but if I deem that the ship doesn't go with the plot, I won't use it. Other than that, drop a review just for the heck of it.
Review Corner :3
varee: Thank you! :3
Grimnack: I love the idea of Natsu being totally nonchalant when it comes to romantic endeavors haha.
nationalcarmen: ...okay? glad you like it that xD
T-tawny: Thankyouthankyouthankyou! You really bolstered my confidence! Thank you again, and I will!
Kauia: Thanks so much!
